Oncenter, a nonprofit corporation contracted by the county to run its convention center, War Memorial and theaters, asked for the money last month after hitting a cash-flow crisis as a result of the recession. At the same time, Oncenter officials conceded that a recent audit found numerous problems with the organization’s financial management during 2008.

Legislators voted 12-5 to give Oncenter the extra $575,000 from a $1.2 million account consisting of revenues from hotel room occupancy taxes. The extra money is on top of about $2.1 million the county provides to subsidize Oncenter each year.

Although county officials do not control Oncenter’s operation — the corporation has an independent board of 10 directors — legislators said they intend to pay closer attention to quarterly financial reports that Oncenter is required to provide to the county. Oncenter officials have not presented quarterly reports to the Legislature since June 2008.

“They will be back on a quarterly basis to keep us abreast of what’s going on,” said Legislator James Rhinehart, R-Skaneateles, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee. “That has not happened recently. . . . We got out of that habit.”

Several legislators said they supported Oncenter’s request for money, but wanted the money to be repaid over six years.

“We obviously have to help the Oncenter,” said William Kinne, D-Syracuse. “But do we have to keep setting ourselves up for the same mistakes over and over again?”